Springboks’ preparations for the daunting clash against New Zealand at Wespec Stadium on Saturday have been rocked by the withdrawal of Makazole Mapimpi due to a knee injury.

Mapimpi was replaced early in the defeat to Australia in Brisbane on Saturday by debutant Cheslin Kolbe and coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Monday that the right winger is on his way home.

Mapimpi will not be replaced.

“His injury is worse than the previous time when he got an injury‚ so he is flying back home today (Monday) to get scans and stuff like that‚" Erasmus said in Wellington on Monday.

"We are not going to call a replacement because we have a few options in the form of Kolbe‚ Jesse Kriel‚ Willie Le Roux and Damian de Allende.”

Erasmus explained that it would not make sense to fly a replacement from South Africa or anywhere else in the world just to come in and be part of two training sessions before a huge match against the All Blacks.